The present invention relates to a structural fixture assembly and more particularly to a unique and novel structural fixture assembly arrangement for supporting an article for display, shipment and storage.
Various structural fixture assembly arrangements are well known in such diverse fields as family picture frames, advertising poster billboards, and storage packaging and shipping. For the most part, the past known assemblies have been comparatively expensive in construction, assembly, and maintenance, requiring numerous construction parts and fastening materials and numerous steps in the assembly of such parts into a final product.
In this regard, attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,772, issued on Feb. 19, 2002 to Francois L""Hotel.
The present invention provides a structural fixture assembly product and method, which can be readily constructed with a minimum of parts and with a minimum of steps in such construction assembly arrangement, without the use of nails, hammers, staples or other fasteners in the assembly operations. Not only is the inventive structural assembly arrangement comparatively straightforward, economical and efficient in construction, assembly and maintenance, requiring a minimum of parts and a minimum of manufacturing steps but, moreover, the present invention provides an efficient arrangement which can be utilized in various sizes and in various industrial arts, such as, but not limited to, the display, storage and freight shipping arts.
Various other features of the present invention will become obvious to one skilled in one or more of the above enumerated arts without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.
More particularly, the present invention provides a structural fixture assembly comprising: a frame member having a perimeter defining through-passage therein surrounded by spaced opposed side portions; and, at least one standard body member sized to extend into the defining passage, the standard body member having slots at opposite extremities thereof capable of engaging in fast interlocked relation with the spaced opposed side portions of the frame member and including at least one assembly resting foot member extendable at a selected angle from the standard body member to provide an erected position for the structural assembly.
In addition, the present invention provides a unique, unified method for forming and erecting the structural fixture assembly comprising: feeding a blank sheet of selected material into a first forming zone to sever a frame member from a portion thereof, the frame member having a surrounding perimeter defining through-passage with at least one recess retaining passage severed in the perimeter defining frame member; feeding a blank sheet of selected material into a second forming zone to sever at least one standard body member having a slotted foot member extendable from the body member, as a resting foot, the body member including slots therein at opposite extremities of the body member; the slots being of sufficient depth and breadth to be capable of snuggly engaging cross-sections along opposite faces of opposed sides of the frame member, the severed body member being of sufficient length to permit such engagement of such slots with the frame member.
The present invention further provides for passing a portion of the blank sheetxe2x80x94advantageously that severed portion forming the through-passage to a third severing zone and severing at least one similarly slotted cross member therefrom capable of engaging the foot member when similarly slotted.
The present invention also provides for passing the severed frame member, body member and cross member to a fourth orientation and assembly zone including the steps of passing the opposed slotted body member into the through-passage of the frame member, orienting the body member so that the opposed slots snuggly engage opposite faces of opposed portions of the frame member, extending the rest foot of the body member to a selected angle position, and, if required, fastening the slotted cross-member to the slotted rest foot of the body member for further erected support of the assembled frame and body members.